Iyer's stern warning to Shaw: Shape up or ship out

Sky's limit for Prithvi Shaw if he gets his work ethics right: Shreyas Iyer

Prithvi Shaw's fall from prodigy to prodigal has been swift and seemingly irreversible, but Shreyas Iyer feels the Mumbai batter can touch the deserved heights if he "gets his work ethics right."

Shaw gave glimpses of his immense talent in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which Mumbai bagged under Shreyas, while making 197 runs over nine matches but he could not even make a fifty.

“I think personally he is a God gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. It's just that he needs to improve his work ethics,” said Iyer after Mumbai's 5-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh here in the SMAT final.

“He needs to get his work ethics right. And if he does that, sky's the limit for him,” he said.

However, Iyer said the desire to embrace redemption should stem within Shaw himself.

“We can't babysit anyone, right? He has played so much of cricket. Everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it's his job to figure out things for himself. And he has also done it in the past. It's not that he hasn't,” he said.

Detailing his point, Iyer said: “He has to focus. He has to sit back, put a thinking cap on. He will get the answer by himself. No one can force him to do anything.”

Iyer's appreciation of Ajinkya Rahane's contribution to Mumbai's SMAT victory should work as a guide for Shaw.

"He is that sort of a character who will give 110% for the team. He started at number 4, where he knew that there were two openers. So, he sacrificed his position and then after that when Surya came in, he became an opener. So he is a fantastic team-man.

“But irrespective, salute to him, the way he approached each and every game, match by match. I am a firm believer of someone who has a certain type of routine and he is one of them,” he said.

It came as a little surprise then that Rahane emerged as the top run-getter in this edition of SMAT with 469 runs at an average of 58.62, and at a strike-rate of 165.

Mumbai's cupboard is brimming with young talent, and Iyer underlining that fact might just also have been a mild warning to Shaw to knuckle down.

"All the youngsters who have come up and the way they showcase their talent is simply phenomenal. You should see their character and their approach outside the dressing room and also on the field.

“They're fearless in their approach and this is the kind of players we need to back. And for me personally, whenever I go out there I want to win. It doesn't matter who we play, winning is something that makes me feel happy and it is everything for me,” he explained.

But for now, Iyer wants to immerse in the joy of leading his side to the second SMAT title after 2022, without worrying about the road ahead including a new IPL franchise in Punjab Kings.

“Right now I just want to go and enjoy it with my teammates. I am not thinking about what to plan ahead. Go out there, enjoy with my teammates, my family, my friends."

“Get some applause from my friends about this success. Cherish it. And after that we will see what is up there,” said Iyer.